moving to Evanston: a new horizon

By COLE REYNOLDS daily senior staffer @charcole27

It’s easy for Northwestern students to tell a friend or a family member that they go to school in Chicago. The glamor of the nation’s third-largest city can become a simple shorthand to triangulate NU’s location.

But NU is not in Chicago. It’s in Evanston, a suburb sleepy in some areas and, in others, lively. The some 78,000 people who live in Evanston make it a city brimming with both opportunities and complexities.

A Brief History

NU preceded Evanston, opening the doors to the Old College in 1855, some eight years before Evanston incorporated as a municipality. However, Indigenous peoples preceded both the city and University, with a number of Indigenous nations once inhabiting the land that is now Evanston. The Potawatomi, the last of the Indigenous tribes, were removed from the land by the United States government via a 1833 treaty.

In the 165 years since its incorporation, Evanston has found itself in the national spotlight on several occasions. Perhaps most notably, it became a focal point of the temperance movement. Evanston local Frances Willard (after whom Willard Residential College is named) was the second president of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union.

Evanston also had one of the earliest significant Black suburban communities in America. Some Black people arrived in the mid-1800s, but in between the World Wars, many Black people moved to Evanston, cementing a community that remains to this day. Still, those residents faced redlining and other discriminatory practices in Evanston. The effect of those harmful practices form the basis of Evanston’s Restorative Housing Program, which makes Evanston the first city to attempt reparations for Black residents.

Town-Gown Relationship

NU’s existence in Evanston elicits varied responses from residents. One might see a “Go Cats” sign in one yard and an anti-NU sign in the next. The University’s relationship with Evanston has been complex for years, with many complaints surrounding NU’s taxes — or lack thereof. As a non-profit, NU doesn’t pay property taxes to Evanston. And since the University owns many of the most valuable residential buildings in Evanston (which it uses as office spaces), some residents believe that NU has prevented Evanston from collecting a substantial chunk of its potential revenue.

NU has provided Evanston with special funding in specific areas — notably environmental improvements and racial equity programs — since at least 2015.

A more recent issue is the Rebuild Ryan Field plan. NU is proposing to build a privatelyfunded $800 million stadium in the 7th Ward. The venue will also host concerts, and residents have raised concerns over noise and traffic levels at the new facility.

Food and Entertainment

Perhaps the most notable recent development in Evanston entertainment was the November 2022 reopening of the AMC 12 theater on Maple Avenue. An indoor trampoline park is also scheduled to open sometime during the school year on the same block.

A fun but fleeting activity is the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market, which runs every Saturday morning through early November. It returns for a few weeks in Spring Quarter, then runs throughout the summer.

Evanston is also home to a restaurant scene that is largely tailored to the fast-casual needs of college students. Earlier this year, Yelp named Ovo Frito Café the 42nd-best brunch restaurant in the nation. Hecky’s Barbecue, a longtime Evanston staple, recently won a Chicago Tribune’s Readers’ Choice Award for best Chicago-style barbecue.

A shortcoming of Evanston’s restaurant scene, however, is a lack of late-night options, with just a handful of restaurants open past midnight. Many students turn to Chicken Shack, a fried chicken joint open as late as 12:30 a.m., to fill that void.

Politics

Much like NU, Evanston is a liberal community, with almost 91% of residents voting for Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential Election. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9th), whose district contains Evanston, is one of the most senior Democrats in the House of Representatives.

That leftward tendency is reflected in local initiatives. Evanston is the first city in the nation to institute legislation aimed at providing reparations for Black residents. It also recently began its new participatory budgeting process, by which residents can help allot city funds.

By ALYCE BROWN daily senior staffer @alycebrownn

As seniors leave Northwestern, many regret never having explored the city so close to their campus. The country’s third-largest city, Chicago bustles with unique experiences and an identity unlike the coastal cities that many students may be more familiar with. Here’s a brief crash course on the geography and logistics of the city — happy exploring!

Beyond Downtown

As students will hear often during their time at NU, Chicago is a city of neighborhoods.

There are 77 “community areas” officially designated by the city, but many more unique neighborhoods created by residents’ unofficial boundaries. Each neighborhood has a distinct identity, food scene and culture, making Chicago the perfect place to explore multiple communities in one place.

These neighborhoods are often grouped together in a few main sections when talking about the layout of the city: the North Side, which includes neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville; the Loop, which is the downtown area that most people think of when they think of Chicago; the West Side, which includes neighborhoods like Humboldt Park and Austin; and the South Side, which includes neighborhoods like Bronzeville and Hyde Park.

Like any major city, many of these neighborhoods represent ethnic communities and offer an opportunity to explore other cultures in depth — a few being Chinatown on the South Side, and Greektown] and Little Italy, both on the Near West Side.

The Chicago neighborhood that borders Evanston is Rogers Park, a diverse and artsy community about a 10-minute drive or 45-minute walk from campus. Many North Side neighborhoods are popular with NU students for eating, shopping or nightlife, but with such an extensive variety of experiences throughout the neighborhoods, all are worth exploring.

Getting Into The City

Luckily, Evanston is connected to Chicago by a variety of easy transportation options. For public transportation, students can catch the Metra or the “L,” short for “elevated,” at multiple Evanston stations for a quick ride into destinations across the city.

The University also provides some transportation into Chicago. If one’s looking to get to NU’s downtown Chicago campus or the immediately surrounding areas, the intercampus shuttle runs a loop from the Evanston campus to the Chicago campus throughout the day. The schedule is available online.

Entertainment in the City

Among many other things, Chicago is known for its unique theater and art scenes.

One of the most notable is improv comedy club The Second City in the Old Town neighborhood, many of whose performers have gone on to successful careers at Saturday Night Live.

Other famous theaters across the city include Steppenwolf, Goodman and Lookingglass, which feature major off-Broadway talent and performances across the Loop and the North Side.

The city is also host to many world-class museums. A favorite is the Art Institute of Chicago, which has free admission for NU students. However, many students also frequent the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Science and Industry and the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, among a multitude of other great options.

Another must for students is one of the things that sets Chicago apart from its city peers — the beaches.

If you want to leave Evanston’s beaches behind, one of the city’s most popular is Oak Street Beach, in the downtown area. Although often crowded, the beach’s location within the city’s skyline makes it a destination for many tourists in the area.

Another popular beach in the city, this one a little further North and closer to campus, is North Avenue Beach. Located in Lincoln Park, one of the Northside’s most popular neighborhoods for younger residents, it offers more complete views of the skyline and (marginally) less crowding.

alycebrown@u.northwestern.edu

BANKER NOTE: Promo code “23STDNT TRGTD CAMPUS ONLY” MUST be used when opening each Bank Smartly® Checking and Standard Savings account to receive the bonus.CUSTOMER: Promo code “23STDNT” will automatically be entered when opening your Bank Smartly® Checking and Standard Savings account using the website address above.

1. A minimum deposit of $25 is required to open a U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking account. To earn the $100 bonus offer, you must open a new U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking account (excludes all other checking account products) at a U.S. Bank campus location or online through a U.S. Bank campus page from May 23, 2023 through and including September 25, 2023. Additionally, you must have a minimum of $1,000 or more in total deposit(s), complete 10 or more debit card purchases totaling $100 or more using your associated debit card as well as enrollment in online banking or the U.S. Bank Mobile App all within 90 days of account opening. All transactions must be posted to the account within those 90 days. Pending transactions, ATM withdrawals and withdrawals at a branch using your debit card are not qualifying transactions. Offer may not be combined with any other checking account bonus offers. Offer is not valid if the primary signer on the account has an existing U.S. Bank consumer checking account, had a U.S. Bank consumer checking account in the last 12 months, or received other U.S. Bank bonus offers within the past 12 months. The checking bonus will be deposited into your new checking account within 60 days after you have completed the checking requirements listed above as long as your account is open and has a positive balance.

2. A $25 minimum deposit is required to open a new U.S. Bank Standard Savings account. To earn your extra $100 bonus you must have opened a new U.S. Bank Smartly® Checking account during the promotional period with the promotion code 23STDNT that is open and has a positive balance. Also, open a new U.S. Bank Standard Savings account at a U.S. Bank campus location or online through a U.S. Bank campus page by September 25, 2023. Additionally, you must make deposit(s) of $1,000 or more by October 16, 2023 then maintain a minimum total account balance of $1,000 or more through April 15, 2024 on your Standard Savings account. The $100 bonus will be credited to your new savings account within 30 days after you have completed the savings requirements listed above. The account must be open and have a positive balance. Standard Savings is a variable rate account. The following Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 5/4/23: 0.01%. Interest rates are determined at the bank’s discretion and can change at any time.